Improvement in hay-racks



J. H. JACKSON. Hay-Rack.

No. 214,824. Patented April 29, 1879.

. I e FIG-.6. I

fnvent'or.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. JACKSON, OF GALVESTON, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAY-RACKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,824, dated April29, 1879; application filed March 20, 1879.

To all whom it may concern.-

of Galveston, Cass county, lndiana have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Wagon-Backs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to those racks which are capable of beingtemporarily secured to the running-gear of wagons when it is desired tohaul hay, flax, oats, straw, and other farm products; and my improvementcomprises a novel combination of main frame, rack-panels, and bottomboard, the construction of these devices being such as to insure saidpanels being firmly coupled to said frame when the bottom board isplaced in position, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improvedrack in condition for use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same,taken in the plane of the central rail of the main frame. Fig. 3 is aplan of the under side of the rack, the bottom board being removed. Fig.4. is a plan of the under side of the main frame, the rack-panels andbottom board being detached therefrom. Fig. 5 is an enlarged transversesection of the rack, taken in the plane of the panel-arms; and Fig. 6shows one of said panel-arms detached from the rack.

Referring more especially to Fig. 4:, it will be seen that the mainframe of my rack is composed of two outer longitudinal rails, A A, andan inner or central rail, B, said rails or sills being secured togetherwith a system of cross-ties, G O O, of which ties two or more may beused.

These cross-ties are attached to the upper side of central rail, B, andsupport the outer rails, A A, so as to elevate the latter above saidinner one, B, as more clearly shown in Fig. 5. Secured to the under sideof central rail B are plates or bars D, having suitable sockets d d toreceive pivots or pins 6 e, attached to the inner ends of the convergingarms E E, to which arms are fastened the slats F F, that constitute thetwo opposite panels of the rack proper; or said plates 1) may beomitted, and the pivots or pins e 6 may hook into staples or eyes driveninto the opposite sides of rail B, or any other readilydetachabledevices may be substituted for Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. JACKSON,

these pivots or hooks and staples.

The forward ends of the upper slats of each panel are furnished,respectively, with studs ff, which, after passing through suitableperforations in the spreader G, receive spring pins or keys, or otherconvenient retaining devices, H.

I is an ordinary falling ladder journaled near the front ends of sills AA. Adaptedto rest upon the cross-ties G is a bottom board, J, notched atj to engage around the panelarms E E, as seen in Figs. 1 and 5.Projecting from the under side of this board is a suitable detent, K,adapted to bear against the hind cross-tie, O, as seen in Fig.2, and

thereby prevent said board being shifted to the rear of main frame A A BO. L are stops to engage with the rear bolster of the wagon.

Rails A A are blocked at N, or otherwise increased in thickness for thepurpose of allowing said rails to rest on the bolsters' Finally, theupper inner edges of said rails may be notched, as shown at a a in Fig.5, to afford a more secure bearing for panel-arms E E.

My rack is fitted together in the following manner: The body or bed ofthe wagon is first lifted 011' of the running-gear, and the main frame AA B G is applied to the latter, the stops L being engaged over the rearbolster, so as to maintain the frame in position. Panel E F is nowapplied to said frame in such a way as to cause the hooks e to entersockets d, after which act the opposite panel, E F, is fitted to theframe byengaging the other hooks, c, with sockets cl The front ends ofthe two rack-panels E F E F are then secured together by the spreader Gand retaining devices H, and bottom board J is applied so as to causeits detent Kto bear against the hind tie, C, while its gains j fitsnugly around the panel-arms E E, as seen in Fig. 1.

The panels E F E F are now securely attached to main frame A A B O, and,as the plates D prevent any forward movement of arms E E, it is evidentsaid racks cannot be shifted in that direction, while the contact ofdetent K with cross-tie O prevents these racks sliding rearwardlyandthus disengaging the hooks e c from their respective sockets d d. Whenthese component members are thus united together, a light, secure, andcapacious I claim as my invention-- rack is afforded, which rack isespecially 1. In. a wagon-rack, the paneLarms E E, adapted for conveyinghay, straw, oats, flax, coupled to the central rail, B, of the mainframe barrels, and other articles. To remove the by the devices cl (1 ec, and maintained in porack it is only necessary to disengage theresition by bottom board J j, substantially as taiuing devices H, liftout bottom board J, and herein described, and for the purpose set forth.then slide the panels E F, E F far enough 2. The combination,inawagonrack, of main rearwardly to unship the hooks e c from sockframe A A B OO, sockets d d, hooks e e, ets d d, and said panels can then bedetached. rack-panels E F E F, and bottom board J j, The panels and themain frame being quite substantially as herein described, and for thelight the rack when thus unlimbered can be I purpose set forth. readilyhandled by a single man. 3. A11 improved wagon-rack, consisting of Theinvention can be modified by gaining the main frame A A B O O C, socketsd d, the upper edges of rails A A to receive the hooks c c, rack-panelsE F f, E F bottom transverse slats of a rack adapted to take the I boardJ j, detent K, spreader G, and retaining place of the bottom board J,which transverse I devices H, substantially as herein described, slatscan be so disposed as to prevent any acand for the purpose set forth.cidental rearward shiftingof panel-arms E E. i In testimony of whichinvention I hereunto Furthermore, the main frame may be adapted I set myhand. to rest directly on the wagon bed or body; but JOSEPH H. J AOKSONsuch a construction is not recommended, be- Witnesses:

cause it would increase the weight of the ve- G. W. WILLIAMS, hicle andrender it top-heavy. M. F. AULT.

